Ketaal
A senior member of the Wayfinder team, Ketaal has been a part of the organization for just over 5 years. His mastery of artifice and keen archaeological insight make him an invaluable member of any expedition. Appearance Ketaal wears a heavy, dark brown leather duster along with dark or neutral colors. He's got a set of finely made adamantine half-plate underneath it, and you can see various spell foci hanging off of various chains and string from the inside of his jacket. His left arm and hand heavily tattooed with hundreds of interlocked dhakaani warding geometries, Gatekeeper sigils and abjurative runes. Intelligent amber eyes flicker back and forth, and there's a pair of flasks hanging off of his belt; a tarnished and battered bronze flask and a steel one covered in blackened leather. He has a dagger scar through his right hand, and a platinum ring sits on his right ring finger. His short buzz of coal black hair contrasts with his orange skin, and a small khyber dragonshard wrapped in byeshk wiring bobs joyfully around his head, brightly glowing with cerulean light. Fluff History Ketaal was born in the small Dhakaani enclave of Paaldan Draal in the Byeshk mountains north of Droaam. He left the enclave just over a decade ago, with the last wave of Brelish citizens retreating behind the Graywall Mountains, because he was fascinated with the few craftings left in his clan by the daashor, but he knew that he wouldn't learn anything more than what he'd already gleaned from them. He learned to hate and identify the creatures of Xoriat above any other enemy, knowing that it was them who were responsible in large part for the fall of the Empire. Ketaal joined the Brelish Army, recruited by the commander of the King's Rangers as he helped with the retreat of Brelish citizens. He spent the next five years serving in the Army, before being honorably discharged at the end of his term, having attained the rank of Sargent. It wasn't until he met Professor Archibald Ferrinbarrow, who asked him to join him on their next expedition to Xen'drik, that Ketaal truly began to learn of history. Also on this journey was a massive, adamantine plated warforged that the Professor had bought for the express purpose of this trip. They bonded, and Ketaal considers Relic one of his closest friends. Unfortunately, the Professor never made it back to Khorvaire, but they discovered when they returned to the mainland that he'd left them posthumous invitations to join the Wayfinder Foundation, in case he didn't make it back. After the death of Professor Ferrinbarrow, Ketaal spent more time in the Sharn chapterhouse, eventually becoming a more regular member instead of only following a specific senior member. Enemies Ketaal has a fiercely antagonistic relationship with Professor Schwarzvald of Morgrave University, a well known scholar of the Dhakaani Empire. Downtime Item Creation: Insignia of the Infiltrator Ketaal absent mindedly tosses the small ingot of flametouched iron that he’d just bought in the air as he walks down into the Cogs, in the vicinity of Shamukaar, Navi busily floating around his head. Finally, he’d managed to get the last elusive metal that he’d been searching for weeks to find. Even the Riedran crysteel had been easier to come across (mind you, there were a half dozen pickpockets with considerably more funds after he got it). But the Church of the Silver flame guards its metals well, and it was only his affiliation with Mik’hael that got him this small ingot, even if he’d had to pay three times its’ weight in gold for it. But with this final piece, he finally had the last component needed to create an item that would let him speak any language as if it was his mother tongue, though it was limited to a single language at a time. The Cannith artificer who’d sold him the template called it an Insignia of the Infiltrator. Ketaal called it a useful tool, especially given how many different places he’d been in and how it would have been useful to speak the native tongue. Stopping by Shamukaar, he hired a three of Drag’s more dependable folks to watch his back as he headed down even further into the industrial area of Sharn, near the manifest zone to Fernia sitting in the bowels of old Ja’sharaat. Here, he had rented a forge for the day that drew heat from Khaar Draguus, the blood of the dragon in the old tongue, the lake of molten rock that sits down in the depths of the city. With Drag’s men guarding his back, Ketaal loses himself in the crafting process, melting together the steel base of the insignia with the rarer, more mystically charged materials: flametouched iron from Thrane, orichalchum from Xen’drik, crysteel from Riedra, and many more. He spoke ancient words of power, learned since he was but a small child at his uncle’s forge, as he hammered the small form into the desired shape, a rough ovoid. Once he had finished the alloying and shaping of it, he drew his dagger and sliced his palm, letting the blood fall freely onto the hot metal, searing the blood and filling the air with a copper-tinged scent. As the metal cooled over the next few hours, he inscribed dozens of charms of strength, cohesion and knowledge into the hot metal, filling the air with a steady arcane thrum of power. It was only when he was half blinded by the innumerable cerulean seals and sigils that he’d drawn over the past day that he sighed and wiped his hands upon the heavy leather apron that he’d adopted in favor of his normal brown duster. He tossed the small metal ovoid into a light acid wash as he discarded the apron and grabbed his jacket. He reached into the acid bath with his byeshk hand and rinsed it one final time in a sulfur-tinged water rinse before admiring his handiwork. The slim metal shape apeears to be plain steel, but every time the light catches it, he can see a different color flash across it’s surface, from the dark gunmetal of adamantine to the lustrous purple sheen of byeshk. “Raat shan gath’kal dor. The story stops but never ends.” Ketaal flips his newly acquired insignia like a coin before stashing it in one of his many, many interior pockets of his duster as he signals Drag’s men that he’s ready to head back up to Shamukaar. He could really use a drink. (( Spends 39 downtime dots and 1200gp to create an insignia of the infiltrator. )) Wayfinder Expeditions Tell No Tales Ketaal went to the Lhazaar Principalities with Ivello, Quarion, and Séula to hunt down a rogue (former) Wayfinder. After capturing her, they brought her back to Droaam, where Ketaal met three figures from his nightmares - the Daughters of Sora Kell. Entombed Arcana Ketaal investigated an ancient Dhakaani dig site in old Ja'shaarat, below The Cogs in Sharn with Cade, Amber/Su and Relic. They found the artifact, but it was guarded by Emerald Claw undead and soldiers. Fighting their way through, they encountered Schwarzvald again, more unhinged than the last time Ketaal saw him, working with the Claw. After a brief skirmish, they claimed the artifact which they discovered was closely linked to Mabar. Deciding that leaving the artifact (which was disrupting the Sharn manifest zone) was too dangerous, they transported it to Fairhaven to store in the Foundation's vaults. Along the way, the ran into Dala Arand, an old acquaintance of Ketaal's form his days trying to publish his work at Morgrave University. They invited her along, and she found her way into a researcher's position in the Foundation as they deposited the artifact in a Wayfinder Vault. Welcome to the Jungle Ketaal accepted the mission from Boroman ir'Dayne to accompny a group of Wayfinders to rescue the crew of Washburne d'Lyrandar, with the understanding that then Washburne's captain would owe the Foundation. They make their way to Stormreach, where Ketaal defenestrates and kills an elf named Edgar for abusing his girlfriend (over which he feels no remorse). They fight and kill an undefeated oni in the Red Ring, making local celebrities out of the Wayfinders, and saving Sue, the Captain's bosun who has the lead on the Captain's location - on board a Riedran vessel heading back to Sarlona soon. They manage to catch them and Ketaal disguises himself as a Beasthide Shifter that was called out as 'Fang' before they assault the ship itself, eventually rescuing the captain and the girl Rowan, who was the primary target of the Riedran abduction. Ketaal was faced with the hard choice of killing the unconscious Inspired captain. He took the man's life with great regrets, however, unable to stand being the reason for any future deaths the man could cause and causing risks for their own escape. Hunting Ketaal's contact among the Kech Shaarat of Sharn, Rutaan, sent him and Aida on a mission to investigate a possible aberrant threat in the small town of Owl's Perch a few days outside of Sharn. After a brief investigation, it became clear that the mayor of the town had been replaced or changed by the touch of Xoriat. A brief skirmish later, Ketaal's arm had been regrown. He got Aida to sever it immediately, but it regrew once again over the course of the next week, and she convinced him to keep it after spells and exposure to byeshk revealed it to be untainted. They got his Gatekeeper contact in Sharn, Volen Torrn Tharashk, to help him in tattooing as many protective and containment runes as they could think of onto the arm, from the tips of his fingers to well onto his torso. Secrets Ketaal lost his arm to a trap in a Su'lat ruin near the Obsidian City. He lost his arm near the shoulder to a flame-edged blade trap, that Relic saved him from dying from by pulling him out of the way. He was unfortunately too late to save his arm, however. It was actually Relic who advocated giving him a warforged prosthetic, regardless of the infection potential, while the wound was still fresh. Lacking a cleric with them, the wound predictably got massively infected and Relic had to stay by his side for three days and nights as he rode out the fever. Ketaal considers Relic his shava, and will go to very far lengths if Relic is involved. Ketaal was recruited by King Boranel himself into the Brelish Army, where he worked on mostly classified military engineering projects, including projects that lead to the death of civilians of all nations. Ketaal is still terrified of the Daughters of Sora Kell - Sora Maenya actually ate his grandfather before Ketaal was born. He survived the trip out of Droaam, but he still has nights where he wakes in a cold sweat at the memory of meeting the Daughters; in perfect, razor sharp detail. He has occasional nightmares of Sora Tereza in the background, watching, as Maenya or Katra take starring roles. He's not at all sure if these are nightmares or the work of spells. Over the past few months, Ketaal has formed a close friendship with fellow Wayfinder Aida Ruel. One night, he attacked her after she revealed her telepathy to him, thinking that she was a fleshwarped agent of the daelkyr. She proved to him that she was not by allowing him to stab her through the hand with a byeshk blade, which is anathema to the servants of Xoriat. He felt as though he had done her a grave dishonor, and fled into the night. The next night, Relic, Ivello and Aida discovered him in the King's Head, a military dive that Ivello knew that Ketaal frequented. Aida confronted him while Ivello held back Relic. Ketaal had a identity crisis, and demanded that Aida let him die as a a dhakaani should and let him commit ritual suicide. Aida demonstrated her understanding of the dar concepts of atcha and muut and convinced him to let her choose the method of punishment, stabbing through both of their hands. In showing how much she understood him, they formed a close bond and became good friends....and more... Ketaal not only knows about the circlet containing the quori from Going Rogue, but he also knows that Aida is actually Aidaveth, and that she "inherited" it from her dear former lover. Ketaal is deeply untrusting of his new arm, though the tattooed sigils ease his mind about the arm considerably.The arm is clean of any taint (checked by Ketaal and the Gatekeeper Volen Torrn), but that doesn't mean that Ketaal trusts the damned thing. ---- Traits, Ideals, Bonds & Flaws Personality Traits * "I put on a rough facade to prevent people from getting close." * "No one gets left behind, no matter how big of idiots I think that they may be." Ideals * "I hold tight to the ancient Dhakaani concepts of atcha and muut." * "Respect is earned through action and deeds, not through titles or bloodlines." Bonds * "I will stand by my cohorts to the bitter end." * "I have created weapons of war and mass destruction, and I swore to never do so again." * "My shava, Relic, is my most most trusted companion. I trust him with my life. * "I will not die needlessly, but if it comes down to it, Aidaveth's life is more important than my own." Flaws * "I default to punishment and shame over forgiveness." * "My thinking tends to be heavily black and white, right or wrong." * "I am unaware of many of the customs of the Galifaran nations" Triggers * Getting/seeing someone fleshwarped by a minion or by the daelkyr (see Hunting downtime) * Getting stuck with a daelkyr symbiont * Seeing anyone, especially one that reminds him of himself or Aida, getting beaten. * Hags. Just... hags. * Seeing Aida losing control of her own mind to another entity. Mind control like suggestion is bad, but she's still in there somewhere. Wondering if she's lost entirely would be worse. Crunch XP & Gold Log This transaction list must include all finished expeditions and the gold & XP earned for each, as well as all expenditures (what you bought and for how much). Inventory * 3191.5 galifars * Adamantine half-plate * Steel Shield * Healing potions x2 * Greater healing potion x1 * Healer's kit * Dagger * Artificer's Tools * Inventor's Kit * Traveler's clothes * Wooden case containing a map to the Tombs of Turrinak in Darguun * Bullseye lantern * Single platinum ring * Miner's pick * Shovel * Two-person tent * Smith's tools * Thieves' tools * Steel flask wrapped in blackened leather * Battered bronze flask of Dhakaani manufacture (trinket) Character Sheet * Character Sheet (current as of January 26th, 2019) Category:Characters